Transformation

Bristol Plays Music is the only music education hub based at a major concert venue and this enables us to present truly world-class artists in masterclasses and concerts but Colston Hall will be 150 years old in 2017 and is beginning to look its age. There has been no major refurbishment for the last sixty years. Indeed, it is the only major concert hall in the UK not to have been redeveloped in recent times. Doing nothing is therefore not an option.

So we are doing something about it. We need your help to achieve our ambitious plans – turning our iconic building into something that we can all be proud of – as a city, region and nation.

The transformation will form Phase Two of Bristol’s biggest ever redevelopment programme in the arts sector. The first stage involved the construction of the £20 million foyer space, which opened in 2009. Phase Two is planned to start in 2017 – the Hall’s 150th anniversary – and be completed by 2019.

In September 2014, we launched our Thank You for the Music appeal, which set a target to raise £45 million by 2017 to transform Colston Hall into an international standard concert facility and a National Centre for Entertainment, Education and Enterprise across the arts – music, comedy, theatre, dance and the visual arts.

In January 2015, Bristol City Council pledged £10 million towards the target. In February, we took our campaign to Westminster, which resulted in the Government pledging a further £5 million towards it. This is a great start and by the end of the year we hope to be well on our way to achieving the full amount.